Although he is a renowned classical guitarist who travels the globe playing the grandest of concert halls and esteemed venues, there’s always a part of North Bergen native Anton Del Forno that makes him want to come home.
“Whenever I get the opportunity, I look to come back to play where it all began for me,” said Del Forno, a graduate of North Bergen High School, who got his start playing in a band while attending high school. “It means a lot to me to go back to North Bergen. I wouldn’t even have a problem with living there, but I’m all over the place all year long.”
The 47-year-old Del Forno planned to take a break in his busy schedule to perform at the Grove Reformed Church on 46th Street and Kennedy Boulevard, on Saturday, Oct. 21, as part of the Church’s “Homecoming Month” celebration.
Del Forno, whose latest release, entitled “Del Forno Plays Villa Lobos,” received great reviews from classical music writers in the New York Times, tries to periodically accommodate the residents of his hometown with a free concert.
The last time Del Forno played in the township, it was at the public library nearly two years ago. His schedule doesn’t allow for many other opportunities.
“I’ll be doing concerts at local colleges on Long Island and at Centenary College [in Hackettstown] next month, then I’ll be in the recording studio recording my new CD, which is my own original composition,” Del Forno said. “Then, I’m off to Florida for more concerts. So I definitely keep very busy.”
But Del Forno loves to introduce children and newcomers to classical guitar music. Since many children are expected to attend the concert in the church, Del Forno has tailored his selection of pieces accordingly.
“It’s just a culmination of all the music I’ve absorbed over the years,” Del Forno said. “It’s music with a modern touch, but geared toward the classical guitar. And I can’t play an entire program of Bach for two hours with kids in the audience. It’s nothing too heavy. I play to let the kids enjoy the music as well.”
In between each selection, Del Forno likes to give a biographical presentation about each composer and about the time period, to give the listener an idea of the background of the music.
“People tend to learn a lot at my concerts,” he said.
Although Del Forno goes the extra mile in making his concerts informative and is recognized for his interpretations of other composers’ music, he is excited about working on a recording of his own works.
“It’s more tonal and melodious music,” Del Forno said. “I’ve spent a lot of time writing the music. It’s definitely not avant garde.”
He hasn’t come up with a title for the release just yet.
“I thought of ‘Del Forno plays Del Forno,’ but that doesn’t seem right,” he said. “Maybe it will be the title of one of the main selections, like ‘Echoes of the Night.’ But I am very excited about this project. I’ve been looking forward to it for a long time.”
And he is looking forward to coming home.
“I want the people who remember me from the days when I first got out of high school,” Del Forno said. “That they remember me with the light on in the attic, practicing at all hours of the night for all those years and never coming out. Well, all that practice is finally paying off.”
Del Forno added, “I want people to be able to tell their kids that they’re going to see an old buddy of theirs, an old buddy who’s doing well and still playing. No matter how big I become or how successful, I’ll make the time to come back to North Bergen. It really means a lot to me.”
For other information about Del Forno and his music, log on to www.antondelforno.com.